Access Recreation New England

Access Recreation New England Access Rec New England is a platform for connecting people with disabilities with recreation opportunities & supporting professionals who make it happen!

HISTORY

Access Recreation New England was started in 2008 when a group of adaptive and therapeutic recreation providers kept bumping into each other at local events, realizing that they had much to share without quite the right forum. With a brief mention of the then "Greater Boston Access to Recreation" in a grant application, the Shapiro Foundation's interest was piqued. Acting as a connecting force and providing meeting space and the occasional lunch, the Shapiro Foundation helped to give what is now Access Recreation Boston a solid place to start from. In the fall of 2011, Greater Boston Access to Recreation (GBAR) hosted its first event, a "speed networking" forum attended by 24 local professionals. It was one of the first events of its kind, bringing together adaptive recreation professionals from across the region in various sports, disciplines and disabilities served. The overarching call-to-action from this meeting was the demand to organize more formally and create a 'clearing-house' of recreational opportunities in the Greater Boston area. Since then, GBAR then names Access Recreation Boston has hosted eight conferences attended by as many as 85 professionals, with keynotes including Paralympic athletes Cheri Blauwet, Maureen McKinnon, Ernst Van Dyk, and Joe Walsh, and sessions ranging from grant writing and risk management to adaptive equipment and inclusion strategies. In 2019, the projects name was changed from Access Recreation Boston to its current name, Access Recreation New England. This better reflects the organizations who partner with ARNE and who benefit from us. Working closely with local professionals as well as the Boston Disability Task Force, we hear again and again the need for a single point of reference for individuals with disabilities to discover the multitude of local recreation opportunities already available. We hear how valuable it is to connect as a field, to know the people behind other programs in order to make the best referrals, and how programs want to improve the quality of their services in addition to expanding outreach.

10/02/2025

Novie is BACK on the mic! 🎙️

The newest episode of Inclusion Revolution Radio just dropped! Tune in for the podcast origin story, belly laughs, and the power of Special Olympics Unified Sports® from our staff. 📺 https://brnw.ch/21wWdDw

10/02/2025

Happy October! Our outdoor programs continue until mid-month. Don’t miss your chance to join us this fall!

Use the link in our bio to sign up for our monthly newsletter and stay up to date on all our program offerings!

10/02/2025
10/02/2025

Over a year out of the pool, a father of two bravely returned to the water at our Adaptive Swim event in Virginia Beach.This story is just one of many from @...

10/02/2025

✨ The raffle for a pair of semi-custom NEDS Parlor Skis is back! ✨ This year, we’re making it even more exciting: only 100 tickets will be sold at $50 each. That means better odds for you to win! The winning ticket will be drawn just in time for ski season so you can hit the slopes i...

***** JOB OPPORTUNITY with VA!!!*****�If you are looking for a rewarding job and want to work with vets, the VA is hirin...
10/02/2025

***** JOB OPPORTUNITY with VA!!!*****
�If you are looking for a rewarding job and want to work with vets, the VA is hiring 1 Recreational Therapist! This position is for CTRS’ who have at least 2 years of experience. The VA is a great opportunity to provide exceptional RT services for veterans. ��The Bedford VA, in Bedford, MA is hiring 1 Recreational Therapist.��The Tour will either be Sunday through Thursday, or Tuesday through Saturday, 8am-4:30pm, working one late day from 11am-7:30pm.��The Salary Range is $83,742 - $108,859��The position is posted and will be open for a short period of time starting 10/2/2025 and closing on 10/20/2025. Refer to the links below.

The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information, refer to Required Documents below. The Recreational Therapist (inpatient) position is located in the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Service (PM&R) at the Bedford VA Health...

***** Employement Opportunity with the VA!!!*****�If you are looking for a rewarding job and want to work with vets, the...
09/17/2025

***** Employement Opportunity with the VA!!!*****
�If you are looking for a rewarding job and want to work with vets, the VA is hiring 1 Recreational Therapist! This position is for CTRS’ who have at least 2 years of experience. The VA is a great opportunity to provide exceptional RT services for veterans. ��The Bedford VA, in Bedford, MA is hiring 1 Recreational Therapist.��The Tour will either be Sunday through Thursday, or Tuesday through Saturday, 8am-4:30pm, working one late day from 11am-7:30pm.��The Salary Range is $83,742 - $108,859��The position is posted and will be open for a short period of time starting 9/12/2025 and closing on 9/26/2025. Refer to the links below.

https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/845773200?_gl=1*1bwbzu0*_ga*NDI2MTY1NjgxLjE3NTE1Mzk2NjE.*_ga_5222X8D281*czE3NTc2NzM1MDYkbzEzNSRnMSR0MTc1NzY3NDA1MyRqMzYkbDAkaDA

Helpful tip: When applying make sure to format you resume as directed and make sure it is clearly noted in your resume that your skills are a match for what is required on the job posting.

If you have any questions please reach out to me.

The Recreational Therapist (inpatient) position is located in the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Service (PM&R) at the Bedford VA Healthcare System in Bedford, MA. The position is full-time at 40 hours per week.

03/17/2025

REquipment matters to the state of Massachusetts. This is the season where we make our case to the legislature. Please reach out to your state reps. Learn how at https://dmereuse.org/budget-season-advocacy



UCP of Western Massachusetts Stavros Center For Independent Living

03/17/2025

REquipment’s inventory is dependent on device donations and the time it takes to refurbish equipment. Browse our inventory or search by category or

03/17/2025

Advocates for Autism of Massachusetts (AFAM) welcomes you to join self-advocates, family members, caregivers and professionals supporting the autism community, as well as our elected and appointed officials as we honor two strong, steady legislative champions of the autism community: Representative....

03/17/2025

Registration is now open for the largest brain injury conference in Massachusetts – visit https://biama.org/annualconference/ to sign up today! Join us on March 26th & 27th for the 43rd Annual Brain Injury Conference, taking place at the Best Western Royal Plaza in Marlborough, MA.

Register by TOMORROW, March 7th to get the “Early Bird” rate! The registration deadline is March 21st. No walk-ins will be accepted this year, so be sure to register online by 3/21!

This event is for survivors, caregivers, family members, professionals, and community members to come together to learn about new developments in the field of brain injury and to network and connect with one another.

Questions can be sent to events@biama.org.

03/17/2025

Don't forget! REquipment is now accepting applications for the Jennifer Baker Memorial Scholarship.

This $1,000 scholarship honors our late program director, Jennifer Baker, who prized lifelong learning. The application deadline is April 1st, 2025.

Our scholarship supports a student pursuing a career related to assistive technology and durable medical equipment who values reuse to improve the lives of individuals with disabilities and older adults.

Learn more at dmeREuse.org/scholarship



Stavros Center For Independent Living UCP of Western Massachusetts

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200 Portland Street
Boston, MA
02114

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Our Story

HISTORY Access Recreation Boston was started in 2008 when a group of adaptive and therapeutic recreation providers kept bumping into each other at local events, realizing that they had much to share without quite the right forum. With a brief mention of the then informal group in a grant application, the Shapiro Foundation's interest was piqued. Acting as a connecting force and providing meeting space and the occasional lunch, the Shapiro Foundation helped to give what is now Access Recreation Boston a solid place from which to start. In the fall of 2011, Access Rec (then GBAR) hosted its first event, a "speed networking" forum attended by 24 local professionals. It was one of the first events of its kind, bringing together adaptive recreation professionals from across the region in various sports, disciplines and disabilities served. The overarching call-to-action from this meeting was the demand to organize more formally and create a 'clearing-house' of recreational opportunities in the Greater Boston area. Since then, Access Rec Boston has hosted twice-yearly conferences attended by as many as 85 professionals, with keynotes including Paralympic athletes Cheri Blauwet, Maureen McKinnon, Ernst Van Dyk, and Joe Walsh, and sessions ranging from grant writing and risk management to adaptive equipment and inclusion strategies. Working closely with local professionals as well as the Boston Disability Task Force, we hear again and again the need for a single hub of information for individuals with disabilities to discover the multitude of local recreation opportunities already available. We hear how valuable it is to connect as a field, to know the people behind other programs in order to make the best referrals, and how programs want to improve the quality of their services in addition to expanding outreach.